Fish farms in East Johor Strait affected by oil spill; clean-up at Changi, Pasir Ris beaches ongoing

SINGAPORE – Several fish farms in the East Johor Strait, as well as the Chek Jawa Wetlands and the beaches in Changi and Pasir Ris have been affected by an oil spill.

This follows an

oil leak at the Langsat Terminal near the mouth of the Johor River

on April 3.

The leak has since stopped, with clean-up operations at the shipping terminal also ongoing, according to a joint statement early on April 4 by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and National Parks Board, citing the Johor Port Authority.

In a separate statement on April 4, Malaysia’s Department of Environment said about 1.6 cubic m of very low sulphur fuel oil was spilled into the sea from a leak in the pipe from a tank at the terminal to a ship there.

This is the same type of oil that was released into the sea after the Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima

hit the Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour

on June 14, 2024. That incident saw 400 tonnes of the fuel being discharged into the sea.

With MPA’s support, SFA is working with affected fish farms on reducing the impact of the oil sheen observed there, said the four Singapore agencies and national water agency PUB in a joint update on the afternoon of April 4. SFA is also providing other fish farms with absorbent pads, among other measures, to help prevent the leaked oil from affecting them.

“As a precautionary measure, SFA is also testing seafood from farms in the East Johor Strait and imported seafood,” the latest joint statement said.

Parts of the beaches at Changi and Pasir Ris affected by the oil spill have been cordoned off for ongoing clean-up operations, the bulk of which is expected to be completed in the next few days. The biodiversity-sensitive Chek Jawa Wetlands is also closed to the public for further monitoring.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee said in a Facebook post on the afternoon of April 4 that a light oil sheen had been seen at parts of Chek Jawa Wetlands that morning.

“The main area impacted is at the Mangrove Boardwalk, where oil residue has been observed on some rocks and mangrove tree roots. Thankfully, the intertidal areas are largely unaffected,” he said, adding that the oil sheen has not been seen on other beaches on the island.

“Based on initial assessments, the impact of the oil spill appears to be minimal, with no observable impact to wildlife so far.”

While an oil patch was seen off Pulau Ubin on April 3, as at 4pm on April 4, there were no visible oil patches off the island and no new oil sightings at sea, the latest joint statement said, with post-impact surveys of the biodiversity-sensitive areas under way.

The Straits Times did not observe any oil slicks at the biodiversity-sensitive regions of Pulau Ubin, including Chek Jawa Wetlands, at about 1.20pm.

South of Langsat Terminal, where the oil spill originated from, the approximately 100ha Chek Jawa Wetlands is home to six diverse ecosystems. These include fauna inhabiting sandy beaches, rocky beaches, seagrass lagoons, coral rubbles, mangroves and coastal forests.

At the entrance of Chek Jawa, a sign was put up saying: “Chek Jawa Wetlands is closed until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Tourist Alyza Banzon said her sister had recommended a visit to Pulau Ubin after being there when she was in Singapore. But the closure did not impact her own trip, as she had no plans to visit the wetlands.

With many businesses on the island dependent on the patronage of visitors, ST also spoke to some business owners there about the potential impact of the spill.

A kelong owner, Mr Tan Poh Teck, said he and other kelong owners in the island’s south have not taken any precautionary measures, as the spill did not seem severe.

Also, two land-based business owners on the island told ST that they are hopeful that things would be back to normal soon.

A provision shop owner, who gave her name only as Madam Ng, said: “If Chek Jawa is not accessible then that affects business, as fewer visitors would come to Pulau Ubin. But I’m not very worried, as it takes a few days to clean up, and then it’s back to normal.”

Ms Koh Bee Choo, who runs a bicycle rental shop, said she does not think her business would be affected, and added: “I hope Chek Jawa will not be closed, as it has the cottages and the views that visitors are interested in.”

In a separate Facebook post on April 4, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore’s desalination plants are not located near the oil leak and that PUB is closely monitoring the seawater intakes for any abnormalities. “Operations at our plants remain unaffected,” she added.

According to PUB’s website, Singapore’s five desalination plants are located in Tuas, Jurong Island and Marina East.

To lessen the impact of the oil spill, booms have been placed in coastal drains at places such as Changi Creek, Sungei Tampines and Sungei Api Api, as well as Chek Jawa and the fish farms in East Johor Strait, the Singapore authorities said. These booms are also placed across the tidal gates at Punggol and Serangoon Reservoirs, till further notice.

At 4.20pm, ST observed workers using water jets to spray the walls of the ferry terminal at Changi, with an oily sheen on the water and booms already deployed in the area.

The Singapore authorities had earlier on April 4 said that drones and satellite images are being used to monitor the surrounding waters for new oil patches, with a specialist vessel – the Marine Oil Sweeper on standby near Pulau Ubin.

NEA advised the public against swimming and other primary contact water activities at Changi Beach and Pasir Ris Beach until further notice.